Today is Carolina Day, which commemorates the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, which took place on June 28, 1776. Unfortunately, it’s a day that doesn’t get the attention it deserves because, just a few days later, in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, overshadowing the battle. Still, because of its contribution to the American Revolution, it’s worth observing and, in Charleston, South Carolina, they’ve observed it for 246 consecutive years.

When people think of the American Revolution, they think of the Northeast (e.g., the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Declaration of Independence) or they think of Virginia (e.g., the surrender at Yorktown). What few realize is that more Revolutionary War battles were fought in South Carolina than in any other colony. The defense of Sullivan’s Island was one of those battles.

Charleston (or Charles Town) was then the busiest, richest port in America. If the British could have quickly pacified Charleston, it would have been a serious, if not fatal, blow to the Revolution.

The British, therefore, planned to invade Charleston itself. To do that, they had to get around the harbor’s defenses.

Image: Battle of Sullivan’s Island by Johannes Oertel in 1858. Public Domain.

On Sullivan’s Island, the patriots (South Carolinians, North Carolinians, and even Native Americans) had begun to build a fort out of logs from the omnipresent Palmetto tree. However, they had succeeded only in building the eastern (Atlantic facing) and southern of the fort. The partially completed fort was under the command of Colonel William Moultrie.

When the British attacked, the western side of the fort (facing inland) was completely open. Had the British managed a flanking maneuver, Charleston would have been theirs for the taking. However, that’s not what happened.

It’s true that the British launched the biggest naval bombardment in modern history, something not seen again until World War I. However, their attack was thwarted by those palmetto logs, which proved to be so spongy that they simply absorbed the British cannon fire. Only 12 patriots died. The poorly armed patriots, who had to be sparing with their shots, claimed 70 British lives and wounded more than 100 others.

The defense of Sullivan’s Island forced the British to turn away from the South, and head back north. Only in 1780 did a better-prepared British force subdue Charleston, removing it from the fight until war’s end.

While most American history texts ignore or give short shrift to this battle, in Charleston, it’s still remembered every year. The commemoration starts with a service at St. Michael’s Church, built 15 years before the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. (For those who are interested, it is a part of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina.)

After that, to the ringing of the church bells, a parade marches down historic Meeting Street, ending at White Point Gardens. This is the most easterly part of Charleston. It’s a beautiful park covered with magnificent live oaks from which the Charlestonians once hanged pirates. (They knew, in those days, how to deal with criminals.)

I did not record the service at St. Michael’s but I did catch the parade. If you read the banners carefully, you will see that many of the groups marching by have roots in the 18th century. Charleston is certainly a wonderful repository of history, and that history lives on in the people.